England Vs Nigeria: How Super Eagles Players Are Rated

My analysis and rating of Three Lions of England vs Super Eagles of Nigeria. By Francis Achi There is no denying the fact that the quick substitutions of four players that Gernot Rohr injected into the team in the second half turned the game into a great contest and Alex Iwobi reducing the deficit for Nigeria made it a more interesting and entertaining affair. Francis Uzoho will be in goal for the World Cup. He was on for the entire duration of the game. He tried his best. He saves some shots and he was to the rescue in ensuring that the scores remain a respectable one against Nigeria. His rating is 5. Shehu Abdullahi played the first half . If Rohr is thinking of playing defensive , with some tactical discipline , then Abdullahi is a sure bet to always start the game for Nigeria. England found it difficult to penetrate the Eagles defence through his position. He was very quick to recover the lost ground most times . His rating is 5. Tyrone Ebuehi He was among the four freshers that changed the course of the game for Nigeria. He is a direct pick for any coach who wants to be offensive minded in his tactical approach against his opponent. He was very difficult to beat and he joined the attack most times to trouble England. He may start against Czech Republic on Wednesday in Austria. His rating is 6. Brian Idowu played full 90 minutes. Nothing spectacular about the Russian based player. Elderson Echijille as a natural left full back is still a better left full back than him. His rating is 3 Leon Balogun . Balogun did not disappoint in the central defence . Although poor communication between him and Joel Obi almost led to injury for Balogun , who is prone to injuries . He tried to mark out Raheem Sterling , but the Manchester City was a terror to him , giving him some lessons on what to expect in English Premiership. Balogun just signed for Brighton and Aibion in the Premiership. His rating is 4 . Williams Trost Ekong The Oyibo partner of Leon Balogun was the saving grace for the Super Eagles , truncating the system of England when their attackers wanted to pull the trigger . Troost is gradually becoming the more reliable central defender . Little wonder that Rohr fielded him for 90 minutes. His rating is 6. Kenneth Omeruo Kenneth Omeruo replaced Leon Balogun in the central defence . He had a decent partnership with Troost , as England found it difficult to penetrate the defence of the Super Eagles, unlike what was witnessed in the first half. His rating is 5. Ogenyi Onazi It is becoming more obvious that the Onazi Nigerians watched at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is no longer the same. He has pace to start attack from his defensive midfield position then, but presently ,he is struggling. He struggled all through the first half and most football loving Nigerians heaved a sign of relief when he was replaced by Oghenekaro Etebo. His rating is 3. Oghenekaro Etebo The former Warri Wolves player and star of the Olympic Eagles was firmed at the midfield against England. He was able to combine with Mikel Obi to create stability to the midfield. More is still expected of him. His rating is 5. Joel Obi. Joel was not a jewel in the midfield of the Super Eagles against the Three Lions of England . He was chasing the ball all over the midfield . Sadly, he could not make use of the ball effectively and just like Onazi, it was a pure relief that Rohr replaced him for John Ogu. His rating is 3. John Ogu. He was on a rescue mission when he and Etebo came into the midfield at the begining of second half and the changes were effective to give the team cohesion in the midfield. Ogu also helped the struggling Idowu at the left full back. His rating is 5 . Mikel Obi. The captain of the team did not find it easy in the first half. England midfieders appeared to have overwhelmed him, but Nigerians saw better performance from former Chelsea player when Etebo and Ogu came into the game to help in the midfield tussle. The dull side of Mikel in the game was when Cahill out jumped him to nod in the first goal for England. His rating is 5. Victor Moses . The Chelsea player was not at his best in the game. The electrifying pace of Moses was not that seen in the game. May be just joining the team in camp has not made him to be at this terrific form yet, but he is still expected to be Nigeria's star player at the World Cup. He was replaced in the second half with Ahmed Musa. His rating is 4. Ahmed Musa. The pace of Muss terrified England defence and if he had a better communication and synergy with Brown Idowu, who was overlapping to join him at the left side of the attack , the CSKA Moscow of Russia player would have caused more havoc for England . His rating is 5. Odion Jude Ighalo. Ighalo was not fielded with much balls from the midfielders. A complete passenger in the first half before displaying his predactory instinct early in the second half when his shot hit the woodwork and Alex Iwobi was well positioned with a sublime strike from his left foot. Ighalo was later removed towards the end of second half for Kelechi Iheanacho. His rating is 4. Kelechi Iheanacho. The Leicester City player could not connect some of the long range passes meant for him. He did not threaten England. His rating is 3. Alex Iwobi. The man of the match on the Nigerian side was Alex Iwobi. He was the one initiating attack in the first half when others appeared to be sleeping on the bicycles. He continued in the second half and crowned his efforts with q superb goal in the 47th minute courtsey of Ighalo's shot that hit the woodwork and the ball found itself on the left foot of IwobI, finishing with a flourish to score against a country , he once played for as a teenager . His rating is 7.